In recent years, extensive effort has been directed toward improving the postoperative comfort of a mastectomy patient. In furtherance of this effort, substantial improvements are being made in mastectomy brassieres so that the mastectomy patient has a somewhat normal appearing bust line. This is essential for preventing, to the extent possible, some of the emotional strain surrounding this type of surgical procedure. It has now become somewhat common practice to use a mastectomy form pad, which is a unit having, as close as possible, the contour and physical reaction of a natural breast. The mastectomy form pad is inserted into the side of a brassiere corresponding to the mastectomy operation while a normal breast occupies the other breast cup of the brassiere.
At first, especially designed mastectomy brassieres were not available. Thus, a mastectomy patient was required to shop for a standard brassiere and then have a retaining structure sewed into one breast cup for reception of the form pad. This presented substantial inconvenience and embarrassment to a mastectomy patient. She must shop for a standard brassiere and then request the store to construct a pocket or pad receptacle. Not all stores were staffed for this purpose. In addition, the modification procedure was expensive and was often done by unskilled persons in a manner to cause discomfort to the wearer and an unnatural appearance to an observer. In addition, the patient often had to return for the brassiere or wait an extensive time for the alteration, even if a store were staffed for this purpose. To overcome these inconveniences, unsatisfactory results, and expense, in recent years special mastectomy brassieres have been designed. These brassieres generally include a somewhat nomal front cover for each of the breast cups. Behind the front cover some type of retaining means is attached to hold a mastectomy form pad. These prior mastectomy brassieres often included a pocket for inserting the pad from one side. Indeed, generally the pad had to be inserted into the pocket in a certain orientation. Since mastectomy operations are not always uniform, the prior mastectomy brassieres which held the pad in a fixed position were not always satisfactory to produce the proper outward appearance. In addition, often the pocket was formed from a non-stretch material which would be visible on the brassiere side receiving the natural breast. It distorted the natural breast and prevented uniform appearance between the natural and artificial breast.
To overcome some of these disadvantages of prior mastectomy brassieres including non-stretch material for forming the pad pocket, a stretch pocket was formed for insertion of the breast pad from the side. It was found that this insertion procedure was quite difficult and often distorted the pad to destroy its natural appearance. In addition, when the pocket was formed from stretch material having an opening at the side for inserting the pad, the pocket for the pad often entrapped air and distorted the appearance of the natural breast.
All of these difficulties in producing a brassiere for a mastectomy patient have been complicated by the fact that brassiere manufacturers generally do not have access to a model, since mastectomy patients are somewhat reticent about their condition. Thus, the various efforts to make a mastectomy brassiere have involved attempts to solve the appearance and comfort problems and then testing the sales acceptance. This procedure has made it quite apparent that prior attempts to make mastectomy brassieres which are comfortable to wear and provide a normal appearance have been unsatisfactory.